


Life Goes On

by Sembell



Category: The X-Files RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-20 03:31:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10654011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sembell/pseuds/Sembell
Summary: These are little drabbles I wrote for the "Moving Forward" - series.





	1. First Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> All of these had no beta. English is not my native language.

**Prompt: "What are Eaden, David and Gillian up to tonight?"**

Eaden was lounging in his lap for almost fourty minutes now, and David started to wonder why they had never watched an entire movie with her before. He couldn’t remember an evening ever being this quiet with their rambunctios little whirlwind, but ‘Bambi’, the masterpiece that it is, was apparently the key to a very relaxed and content little girl, who even let her mother rub lotion into her tiny feet without putting up a fight for the very first time.

February’s just around the corner, and David was very grateful that Gillian had taken the long trip for an extended weekend in New York with him. He would miss them terribly while on tour, and he really wanted to make sure they got to spend some quality time before he’d be on his own for the next couple of weeks.

So the day had been filled with lots of outdoor activities in Central Park and a trip to Gillian’s favorite fast-food-restaurant, which also happened to be her little mini-me’s favorite place to eat a big portion of French Fries all by herself.

For the sake of their daughter, Gillian and David tried to blank out what was going on in the world for at least a couple of hours, but it was nearly impossible to think of anything else at the moment. And it was telling enough that despite their respectable acting skills and keeping her away from any news, their almost 3-year-old daughter was still able to sense that something really, really bad was going on in the world. And therefore, a movie night like this was very much needed these days.

“Daddy?” Eaden’s tiny voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he took his eyes from the TV to look into her expectant little face. Her right eyebrow was raised just like her mother’s when she was waiting for an answer from him, and it always amused him to see her like that.

“Yes, honey?”

“Mommy fell asleep,” she whispered and nodded her head towards Gillian, who was comfortably resting against his side.

He slightly tilted his head to get a better look at her face. “She really did,” David nodded before placing a chaste kiss against Gillian’s hairline and with a content sigh, she snuggled closer against his warmth.

“That’s okay because you shouldn’t fight sleep after a fun day,” Eaden said pointedly and turned her head back to the TV while David wasn’t able to stifle a quiet chuckle because of her sweet, innocent seriousness.

Once again, he was reminded that there was still some good in this world.


	2. Three Years Old - The Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Eaden's third birthday

**April 14th, 2017  
**

It took David a full five minutes to figure out what was happening. Which was kind of embarrassing if he considered that his clever three-year-old probably didn’t even need half of the time to come up with this brilliant, almost oscar-worthy plan to make a theatrical entrance. And to fool her parents.

He woke up to her kicking at the covers beside him. Then there was some of the usual rustling and just when he thought she was about to climb on his chest and wake him with a sweet “It’s my birthday, Daddy,”, she crawled towards the foot of the bed and, almost as quiet as a mouse, slid down to the floor.

Now more than curious of what was going on, David opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to the side, catching a brief glimpse of a rustled blonde head in a pink jumper quietly opening the door and slipping outside. And then complete silence.

Weird, David thought and waited. And waited and waited and waited.

After a couple of minutes, he heard a quiet voice coming from outside and some scratching on the wall. It almost sounded like she was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and talking to herself. Almost as if… as if she was waiting for something?

And that’s when David realized what was going on.

As quietly as possible, he scooted closer to Gillian, who was resting on her side facing him, still soundly asleep. “Hey, babe. Wake up,” he whispered and slid his right arm around her warm waist. “Gillian, wake up.”

“Hmm?” she hummed approvingly and blinked herself awake only to see him putting his index finger against his lips to sign her to stay quiet. She looked at him in confusion and mouthed a silent “what?”

“Listen!” he said, and looked at her expectantly while listening to their daughter’s sweet little voice coming through the gap.

“Is she sitting in front of the bedroom door?” Gillian asked in a confused whisper after awhile, eyes still only half open and eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah,” he nodded and couldn’t stop himself from leaning in and kissing her. She was so unbelievably soft and beautiful right after waking up.

“Why?”

“I think she is trying to make us believe that she hasn’t slept in here tonight. And a few days ago, she told me that she’s going to be a big girl now and that she would start to follow the rules.”

“What rules?” she slurred, getting more confused by the second. She remembered some rules somewhere in the back of her head, but had their daughter ever followed one of them?

“Just wait and see!” he said and turned onto his back. And then, a big, hearty yawn came out of his open mouth and he stretched his arms and legs so that the sheets were rustling.

Barely five seconds later, as if she’d waited for the slightest sign that one of her parents were finally awake, there was a soft knock on the door, and suddenly Gillian remembered one of their rules: knock before you come into Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom after the birds started to sing outside. She had never acted on that rule before.

It was absolutely hilarious, and Gillian had trouble holding back a bark of hysterical laughter. This little girl was truly a blessing.

David grinned at her knowingly and waited five seconds before replying with an extra-tired “yes?”. And almost in the same moment, the door was pushed open and in walked a beaming, three-year-old Eaden.

Gillian wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen such a big smile on her daughter’s face, and there sure had been a lot of big smiles in all those three years now. She looked so proud and adorable walking towards the bed in a confident, bouncing pace.

“Hey,” David greeted her exuberantly and held out his arms as she climbed up the bed, and pulled her on top of him. “Good morning, beautiful. Where are you coming from?”

“From outside!” she said proudly and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she was waiting to see if her parents would look through her little plan or not.

But before Gillian or David could say something, she apparently decided to change the topic to more important matters. Excitedly, she looked between her parents and suddenly threw her arms in the air.

“It’s my birthday today!” she called out and kicked her little legs into his pillow.

“What!” David looked at Gillian in feigned surprise.

“Daddy! Mommy! I’m thwee!”

“Oh my god! Happy birthday baby girl!” Gillian said cheerfully and put her arm around her daughter to pull her down for a big kiss. “Wow! I can’t believe you’re three years old now!”

“Happy birthday, Eaden!” David pulled her into a bear hug. “You’re such a big girl now! We love you very, very much!”

“Yeah,” Eaden nodded and rested her head on David’s chest, grinning at her mother. “And I know the wules now!”

Gillian chuckled and let David pull her close to them. “You know the rules now?”

“Yes! Do I get my pwesents now?” she asked and put her fingers into her mouth, suddenly concerned if her efforts were enough to be that “good, well behaved girl” who earned herself all those presents she’d asked for. Although she wasn’t sure if it was enough for that little brother she’d desperately asked for, but certainly for the pack of chewing gum.

“Yes, baby,” Gillian smiled affectionately and stroked a few strands of hair behind her daughter’s ear, fighting hard to hold back the tears. “Let’s go downstairs, have your birthday breakfast with all the things you like and open up all those presents waiting for you! How does that sound?”

Eaden smiled happily and flung her arms around her father’s neck. “Like I’m a veeeery good girl!”


	3. Three Years Old - The Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Eaden's third birthday

**April 14th, 2017[  
](http://sembell.tumblr.com/post/159578188930/three-years-old)**

Watching a man holding his little daughter, swaying to the melody of Frank Sinatra’s smooth voice while the child, exhausted from a day full of happiness and laughter, clung to him as if he was her only rock, the only one who would bring her safely through yet another dark, bustling night, was as close to get a taste of complete bliss as it could get.

Eaden’s head was slumped against her father’s broad shoulder, whose nose was deeply buried into the nape of her neck. Gillian could hear him humming softly to their daughter, and every now and then, he tilted his head slightly to look at her face, watching her eyes getting heavier while she was tiredly looking at her own little fingers tracing the collar of his shirt.

It was the perfect ending to a very special day for their little girl, and for her entire family.

To witness how loved their daughter was by all of her siblings, grandparents and friends was one of the best feelings for a parent.

Knowing how much dedication and time her sisters had put into the three tiered, ocean themed birthday cake with a giant whale on top. It had taken them days to plan this thing just because their little sister was probably the only three-year-old girl around who didn’t want Elsa, Anna or any other recent Disney princess on her cake. Instead, their little Arielle had asked for her very own underwater queendom, as she insisted it should be called.

And her brothers, all hilarious in their own way and absolutely smitten with their little sister, did their absolute best to make this day the most memorable and special day Eaden had ever had by being the sweetest, most patient and generous boys around.

Or watching her open up her presents, one more thoughtful than the other, and seeing the glint in her eyes when she realized that she didn’t just get one package of chewing gum, but one from each of the thirteen countries they all had visited in the last couple of months. All coming with a little story about the person who’d sold them, which their big-hearted, little adventurer loved just as much as the gum itself.

This girl brought so much joy to their family, and Gillian was so grateful for every single day, every moment they got to see her growing up and every memory they were able to make with her. She was worth all the hard times, every tear and every fight they had to survive in order to get to the point when all that was left was the heart.

“Hey, get over here, beautiful,” David suddenly whispered over Eaden’s head, his lips curved in a warm smile as he extended his arm towards her.

She didn’t hesitate to step into his embrace, and as soon as he had his arm securely wrapped around her waist, Gillian snuggled close to her warm, cozy little girl already clad in her soft pyjamas. While the delicious baby smell was long gone, Gillian still loved her daughter’s sweet scent. It was as fresh, satisfying and addicting as ever.

“Did you have a good day, baby?” Gillian asked and gently stroked a few strands of hair out of Eaden’s face.

“Yeah,” she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. Gillian was surprised that she wasn’t cranky in the slightest given how tired she looked with her puffy, dazed eyes.

“That’s wonderful! It was a very special day today, wasn’t it? Lots of nice people came over and brought so many great presents, right?”

“Yeah,” David agreed and placed a chaste kiss on his daughter’s forehead before nuzzling his nose into her blond bangs. “And we had a lot of good food today. You loved the burgers, didn’t you? And I can’t wait to eat the rest of the cake with you tomorrow, honey.”

“I’m thwee now,” she whispered, and both David and Gillian couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at their daughter’s slurred statement.

“Yeah,” David said softly and rubbed her back. “Three years ago today you came into our lives as a tiny, beautiful little baby. And you made us very, very happy.”

Eaden hummed softly and raised her head from his chest, fighting so hard to keep her eyes open while looking at her father. “Bwown hair?” she asked, her expression almost concerned.  

“Yes, you had brown hair when you were born, but it turned blond very quickly,” David replied with amusement, and as if his answer had just made her day completely perfect, Eaden heaved a relieved sigh, put her thumb into her mouth, closed her eyes and nestled her face against David’s chest.

They kept swaying to the music, enjoying each other’s warmth and the quiet and peace that was surrounding them.

After a while, Gillian risked a curious glance at Eaden’s face before smiling up at David.

“She’s completely zonked out.”

“Thank god, I thought she was about to get a little delusional,” he joked. “It was a big day for her.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty worn out myself,” Gillian admitted with a wink.

“Hmm, what do you think about tucking her in real quick and then… start to work on that birthday present she didn’t get this year?” he grinned mischievously at her and waggled his eyebrows.

Gillian shot him an incredulous look, but then burst into laughter so that she had to bury her face into the side of his arm to muffle the sound. 

“That was so bad,” she chuckled into his shirt.

“What?” he asked in bewilderment. “At least we can tell her next year that we tried really hard for that little brother.”

“We could’ve already told her the same thing this year.”

David pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. “True.”

“But you know…” she said seductively before getting on her tiptoes to give him a soft, lingering kiss and then tilted her head slightly to the side to look into his eyes. “You could tuck her in while I’m putting on something nice for the night… and we’ll just… take it from there. What do you think?”

“I think you’re full of brilliant ideas,” he said, and with a last quick kiss, put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the living room, turning off the lights behind him.

While Gillian disappeared into their bedroom, he slowly walked towards the other end of the hallway, and just as he was about to step over the threshold into Eaden’s room, she tightened her hold around his neck, making him stop in his tracks and looking down at her.

She was giving him the puppy eyes and the stuck out bottom lip, and then, in the sweetest voice imaginable, Eaden said, “It’s my birthday, Daddy. Can I sleep in your bed tonight, pwease?”


	4. Birthday Parents

**_August 6th, 2017_ **

It was a complicated matter, her parents birthdays.

Eaden knew that they were in the month of August and Daddy’s birthday always came before Mommy’s. But that was the easy part.

Apparently, Dad’s birthday was two days before Mom’s. Eaden had asked if that meant that David was two days older than Gillian, but frankly, it didn't. Well, not exactly, Gillian had replied, and there had been an expression on her face that Eaden hadn’t been able to figure out. It kind of resembled her _“Are you serious?”_ face, the one she was wearing when Eaden had been naughty. Or when one of her brother’s had hurt himself again.

Anyway, Daddy was two days older than Mommy and at the same time, he wasn’t.

He told her something about eight years when she’d asked him, which, in her book, made even less sense. Eight years? Even if she was just three years old, Eaden knew very well that this was more than two times her age.

No, it made absolutely no sense at all.

Neither did the fact that Daddy had asked her what she wanted to give Mommy for her birthday way earlier than Mommy did, even though his birthday was before hers. She’d asked him about that too, but he just grinned and told her it was alright that they started earlier, no matter how confusing it seemed to be. The only important thing was to try to not spoil the surprise.

And that’s when it started to get really complicated.

Over weeks, Eaden had spent a lot of time on their presents. But when she was sitting with Mommy on Daddy’s birthday present, she couldn’t tell her that the day before, she’d finished a painting with Daddy that was supposed to be a part of her present. And vice versa.

Needless to say, the excitement went sky high when she learned that David had also prepared a present for Gillian. Something nice and shiny and something with a big meaning were the only clues he’d let on, which was enough to freak her out. How on earth was she supposed to keep that a secret?!

However, she did her best to take her father’s words by heart.

_“I know this is exciting, baby. You can decide if you want Mommy to know what you have for her or not. But I think if you keep it to yourself until her birthday, she will be super surprised!”_

And who didn’t like surprises?!

What she didn’t know, and wasn’t able to comprehend at this point, was that the last thing David had intended was to put any kind of pressure on her.

And he’d definitely not wanted her to cry on a beautiful Sunday night, the day before his birthday. Not because of her parents birthday presents.

 

**_August 7th, 2017_ **

It was long after midnight, almost three hours into his 57th birthday, when David tentatively knocked on Piper’s bedroom door and waited for her reply before slowly pushing it open.

The only light in the room came from the lamp on the nightstand, which was turned around so it wouldn’t illuminate the bed, and bother the sleep of the little three year old who was sprawled out on it.

Her older sister was lying beside her over the covers with her legs crossed and a book on her lap. She was smiling tiredly at him, and he reciprocated it with an apologetic one. From what she’d texted him, and knowing his little daughter, it must’ve been one hell of an evening for Gillian’s eldest daughter.

“Hey,” David whispered and came closer.

Around midnight, Gillian had received a message letting them know that Eaden had woken up from a nightmare and was standing in front of their bedroom, crying heartbreakingly. Because of their birthday presents, apparently. During recess, Gillian had called Piper, who was still busy soothing a very upset Eaden, who’d apparently dreamed that she’d broken her promise by telling Mommy what Daddy had gotten her for her birthday. But what was really upsetting her was her thinking that Gillian didn’t have anything for David’s birthday. Which would obviously make Daddy very, very sad.

Oh this little girl with her big heart and the over-active, beautiful mind - she was keeping them all on their toes, that was for sure.

“Hey, David,” Piper replied and put her book aside. “How was the evening? Did you have a good time after all?” she asked quietly.

“It was fantastic. I just hope she didn’t give you that much of a hard time, even though I know she did.”

Piper chuckled and slowly pulled the covers from Eaden’s tiny form. She was lying on her back, sucking on her thumb while holding Ruben, the green bunny, close to her chest.

“It was okay. She cried a little more after we talked on the phone, but basically fell asleep once I lay her down. She just didn’t want to be alone. She’s out for a good two hours, though. I think you’re safe.”

“Okay, thank you very much, Piper.”

“I’m sorry the night ended like this. Bet you had a different outcome in mind,” she said with a rueful smile as David gently lifted Eaden off the bed.

“It wouldn’t be a proper date-night without such an incident, would it?” he quipped and kissed Eaden’s temple as her head came to a rest on his shoulder

“I guess not, no.”

“Good night, P. Sleep well,” he said and was about to turn around when she suddenly called out for him to wait and got up.

“Happy birthday, David.” She held out her arms and as he opened one of his’, embraced him and Eaden in a bear hug. “I hope it’s a good one! I love you,” she whispered against his chest and squeezed his back.

“Thank you, sweetie. I couldn’t have imagined a better start into my 57th year of life than being with you guys.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Good night,” Piper said and released him. “And don’t sleep in too long, there might be a special breakfast waiting for you tomorrow morning,” she winked and grinned up at him.

The times when Eaden didn’t wake up when putting her to bed were long gone, so David wasn’t surprised when a pair of crystal blue eyes were looking up at him when he pulled her colorful blanket up and tucked it under her arms, just the way she liked it.

“Hey, little slugger. How are you doing?” he asked softly and set down beside her.

“Good,” Eaden said sleepily and rubbed her eyes. “Where have you been, Daddy?”

“Mommy and I went out together for my birthday. Do you remember?” he asked and put the bunny right beside her on the cushion.

“Did you get a pwesent from Mommy?” she asked, and suddenly, there was that familiar sparkle of curiosity in her eyes he knew all too well. He smiled.

“I did get a present from her, yes! She took me out to dinner to a very, very nice restaurant and surprised me with concert tickets,” he said quietly, stroking over her soft, blonde hair as she relaxed back into her pillow. “So we had a wonderful evening listening to some great music.”

“Did you dance?”

“Yes, we danced, honey.”

“Did you give her a kiss?”

“Yes, I promise I gave her a lot of kisses to show her how grateful I was for that wonderful present. Were you scared Mommy didn’t get me one?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to upset her again, but to make sure she was fine again. He felt guilty, very much so, for not realizing how much the whole thing had bothered her that she ended up being so overwhelmed by her emotions.

“No,” she stated, shaking her head confidently, and David had to bite on his bottom lip to hold back a laugh. “Mommy loves you, Daddy. I know that.”

“Oh?” he raised his eyebrow as in surprise.

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly, and David could tell that her eyes grew heavier by the second. “I’m sleepy now. We can talk tomorrow,” she murmured, turned to the side and buried her face into her bunny’s belly.

“Alright, I’m looking forward to it. Good night, sweetheart,” he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Sometimes, David wondered what they had done right to deserve this little girl, but when in the last seconds of consciousness she whispered, “Happy birthday, Daddy and Mommy,” before she finally drifting off to sleep, he said a silent thank you to whoever, or whatever, had blessed them beyond measure.

 

**_August 8th, 2017_ **

“Wraahh!” Eaden screamed as she came running towards them, arms propelling wildly through the air, carelessly crossing the paths of the people who were trying to work.

It was the first day of filming, and the little three year old whirlwind was already the most famous person on set. Who would have guessed?!

As she came closer, Gillian noticed that she was wearing a pair of big, grey hands with long fingers over the whole length of her forearms - it had not taken her long to find the alien stuff.

“Hey, watch out! Eaden!” Gillian called out, watching Eaden taking a slight turn to prevent colliding with someone in the last possible moment before continuing to boisterously make her way towards her mother.

The impact was hard, but Gillian was used to little bodies storming into hers, so she’d braced herself just in time as Eaden ran into her headfirst. Annabeth, who was standing beside her, chuckled at the sight of them.

“Eaden, you need to be careful! There are people walking around you don’t want to hurt and equipment standing around you don’t want to destroy, okay? God knows I’ve already destroyed enough expensive equipment for all of us,” she said and threaded her fingers through Eaden’s soft, blonde hair.

“I’m not Eaden, Mommy! I’m a scary alien!” Eaden said pointedly, raised her arms up high and attempted to make a frightening face. “Wraahh!”

“Wow honey, you look very scary! But where did you get those? Did you ask before taking them?”

“Yes, I did! A nice lady put them on me after I asked!”

“Good girl! Hey, do you remember Annabeth here?” Gillian asked and put her hand on Annabeth’s upper arm.

“Hey, Eaden! It’s nice to see you again,” she said and kneeled down to get on Eaden’s eye-level.

The little girl shook her head no and stepped closer to Gillian.

“Yeah,” Annabeth nodded, “you were very little the last time we saw each other! You just started to walk!”

“Really?” Eaden looked up to Gillian.

“Yes, you were just a baby back then.”

“And now I’m a big girl!” Eaden beamed, and Annabeth stood up again.

“She is sugar, Gillian! So cute,” she said warmly and smiled down at Eaden, who was also grinning up at her, alien arms tightly wrapped around Gillian’s upper thigh.

“I’m out of sugar, Mommy!”

“You’re out of sugar?” Both Gillian and Annabeth chuckled heartily before Gillian picked her daughter up and kissed her cheek. “Will the sugar queen even be able to survive without her beloved sugar?”

Eaden giggled, knowing her mother well enough to realize that she was teasing her, and rested her head on her shoulder.

“What about my little extraterrestrial sugar queen, huh?” David suddenly piped in from behind and stepped beside them, still clad in the dirty clothes that Mulder wore by the end of the last season, holding a paper plate with a big piece of cake on it.

Eaden’s eyes went wide. “Is that a cake, Daddy?”

“It is! It’s my birthday cake that I got from Chris! Doesn’t it look yummy?” he asked and put a spoonful into his mouth, closing his eyes in pleasure.

“Wow!” Gillian marveled and looked greedily at his plate. “I wonder if I will get one, too.”

“I bet you will,” David grinned. “It’s your birthday tomorrow. And if not, you still have what’s even better than birthday cake,” he winked and put his arm around her waist as her face turned two shades redder.

“See, Mommy! I’m not out of sugar for a loooong time!” Eaden exclaimed excitedly, leaned forward, closed her eyes and opened her mouth wide, waiting for David to finally share his colorful birthday cake with her.

 

_**August 9th, 2017** _

Gillian’s 49th birthday was the best day in a very long time, and the first birthday Eaden would remember for the rest of her life.

Despite having done their best to hide their struggles from their little daughter, the last couple of months had been difficult in many ways, and had not failed to leave their marks on all of them, but especially on Eaden.

There had been days and nights Eaden had found her mother crying in bed or locked in the bathroom for no apparent reason other than being... incredibly sad. Weeks in which she’d slept alone in bed with her father, because Mommy was miles and miles away in London. It was safe to say that Eaden had spent the majority of the year with just one of them than with both together, and in the end, it had affected her more than David and Gillian had ever wanted.

It was only by the end of July that there finally, finally seemed to be a light at the end of the horizon again. Being only three years old, she couldn’t put it into big words, but after her parents had left her at her grandmothers house for a week before travelling to Vancouver, she was able to feel it again - the joy and happiness between them, the lightness... and a lot a lot a lot of love. Maybe it was exactly just that, and no big words were needed after all.

Gillian’s birthday was a day that started early in the morning, with Eaden sneaking into her parents’ bedroom on tiptoes way before dawn, only to find them already awake, giggling and kissing underneath the covers. Surprised by their unexpected little visitor, it took them a visit to the bathroom, a change into pyjamas, and for David a quick look at his phone to finally come back to bed and spend the next two hours cuddling and snoozing together.

Well equipped with her green little backpack, Eaden arrived on set with her nanny by noon to a red-haired Gillian and a birthday party with dozens of people celebrating both David and Gillian. A dark chocolate and a butternut cake in the shape of a guitar and lots and lots of frosting, so delicious you just needed to try both, had to be kept save from a very greedy Brick lingering around.

Dinner took place later that evening at a nice, cozy little restaurant. Eaden, always the eager little waitress, not only served Gillian’s gifts on a tray, but, with the help of Piper, also the sweetest, most intense birthday speech a three year old could possibly deliver. But nothing could’ve prepared Gillian for the words that hit her so deeply she wasn’t able to breathe for a couple of moments. Words that she would carry with her for the rest of her life.

“Mommy, you are the very most kind person I know, and you are so bwave. Piper and Daddy and me hope your pwesents make you really, really happy!”

And boy did they make her happy, because they reminded her that she was the luckiest woman on earth for having these wonderful, thoughtful human beings in her life who were loving her way farther than to the moon and back.  

Later that night, David and Gillian sat at Eaden’s bedside, caressing her face, holding her hands, and listening to her sleepy voice telling them about her exciting, wonderful day, and watching her little lips curl up into a content smile as they told her how loved she was.

They were still sitting with her when she’d already fallen asleep, both of them unable to take their eyes off their sweet little girl, whose happiness meant the world to them.

There had been times in the last couple of months when it had felt like she was the only reason they could think of that was worth fighting for. But now, as they were sitting there in silence with their fingers entwined, they knew in their hearts that there were so many more.


	5. Premiere night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a normal TV night at the Duchovny house :D

“Oh man, you’re going to love it. It will rile you up real good,” Miller teased and bumped his shoulder against his sister.

“Shut up and stop spoiling it!” West said gruffly and pushed him away.

The whole banter had caused Brick, who was lying on West’s feet, to startle out of sleep, and she leaned over to ruffle his fur calmingly.

Miller raised his arms in defense. “I didn’t say a thing!”

“Guys, calm down!” David said and squeezed himself between them on the couch, putting a bowl with nachos and another with salsa on the coffee table in front of him. “And take your stinky feet off the table, Mill!” he added, and with a groan, Miller pulled his lanky legs back and folded them underneath himself.

West fell quiet for a couple of moments, scrutinizing her brother with pursed lips. “Why on earth was he even allowed to watch it already?”

Miller grinned. “Because I can be trusted to keep my mouth shut,” he answered, and flashed her one of those looks where he would first wink, then waggle his eyebrows and then purse his lips into a pout.

West rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. “Sure, the chatterbox of the year himself. Worst choice ever.”

“Hey, enough of this,” David cut in and gave each one of them a salsa covered nacho. “Why are you guys always fighting on family TV night?”

“Because he’s acting like a smartass.”

“And you’re just jealous we didn’t wait for you to watch it.”

“Yeah, thanks for that, by the way” West snapped.

“It’s not my fault! I would’ve waited, but Dad insisted. I guess he was just missing Gillian over Christmas.”

“Hey now!” It was David’s turn to bump into Miller. “You begged to watch it!”

“Yeah, that sounds more like what really happened,” West stated dryly and took a sip out of her glass.

“Nope, I’m telling nothing but the truth. Which, for your information, doesn’t apply to someone who should be dead but still smokes a lot.”

“Fuck you!” West reached behind David and punched her brother’s upper arm.

“What’s going on here? Did I miss something?” asked Gillian, who was walking around the corner with two bottles of beer and a coke, her new, shorter hair up in a ponytail.

David grinned and made room for her to sit down beside him and Miller.

“Just this annoying brat over there spoiling the whole thing! Can’t we kick them out and have a nice, relaxed girls night?”

“That’s a very good idea!” Gillian replied with an appreciative nod towards West. “I feel like putting on some funky music and dance to it.”

“I wouldn’t mind you doing this right here right now,” David smiled and put his arm around Gillian, squeezing her playfully.

“No guys on girls night,” Gillian slurred, shook her head and rubbed her nose against David’s.

“Bummer,” David sighed. “Did the cub go down well?”

“Yep, she was out like a light.”

“Thanks to this brilliant stud,” Miller piped in and pointed at himself, obviously pleased with his accomplishment. “I wore her out with that drone,” he said, and all of them started to laugh in unison.

“She was so cute running away from that thing thinking it was after her,” West chuckled and handed Gillian a glass of coke she’d just poured.

“And that she didn’t get that I was operating it,” Miller added.

“She’s just like you in that respect,” David whispered into Gillian’s ear.

“Hey!” she elbowed him away with a giggle.

“Calm down, kids!” West called out as the screen went black and Chris’ voice filled the room. “Shit’s getting serious! I need to put this on snapchat.”

An hour later, West was sitting on the coffee table near to the TV, disgust written all over her face because of what she had to witness in the last three minutes. Up to the point old smokey had started to reveal his dirty secret, she’d been completely thrilled and spellbound on how the story was playing out in the first episode. But now, she was shocked and furious.

A smug laugh came from Miller, who was still sitting on the couch. “I wasn’t exaggerating, was I?”

“Fuck me,” West exclaimed angrily.

“Wow,” Gillian sighed in astonishment, as if she hadn’t known what would happen. “What a plot twist!”

West turned around and stared at Gillian, who was leaning against David and stroking Brick’s head resting on her upper thigh. “This is a joke, right? Guys?”

“Well-” David started, but didn’t get much further, which shocked West even more.

“Dad! This is disgusting, and heartbreaking! Not only that he raped Scully, she would also be the mother of Mulder’s half-brother! Please, Gillian, tell me he’s lying, at least about the part that he’s the father.”

“I can’t tell you that, sweetheart,” Gillian said, pouting.

“But we will get an answer? We’ll get the truth, right?” she asked almost desperately, but neither David or Gillian made an attempt to give her an answer.

“Guys, we just can’t tell you anything beyond episode five,” David said, but according to the look on West’s face, it was too cheap of an excuse.

“And there’s no mention of that in the next four,” said Miller and got up. “I need more food.”

“So we won’t get the resolution until the last episode? Assuming they find the kid soon, he’ll be under the impression that he finally found his birth parents, and then boom, no, your Daddy is an old chain-smoker. Congrats. And congrats to Mulder who has to live with his heart broken into a million pieces for the rest of his life,” West sputtered, also standing up.

David chuckled with amusement. “Wow, you’re really on fire.”

“Yeah, well, you wait until you have to face a fan. Good luck with that.”

“Hey, I’m not responsible for this!”

“On a brighter note,” Gillian cut in, “I actually liked the episode.”

“Yeah,” West murmured. “Can we watch the other four now, please?”

David sighed and looked at Gillian, who gave a nod. “Okay, go and find my external hard drive. It should be on top of the closet in the bedroom,” he said, and with that, she jogged away.

Gillian was now grinning widely at him. “You really didn’t expect this reaction?”

“Well, yes. No. Not really.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“There will be a giant shitstorm.”

“Yeah, we’re used to that by now, aren’t we?” David sighed, putting his forehead against hers.

She raised her arm and threatened her fingers through his freshly cut hair.

“Hey,” she nudged his cheek with her nose before giving him a soft kiss on the lips. “Always remember, ‘everyone will be happy’,” she teased, and they both fell into soft laughter.


	6. Valentime's Date

_February 14, 2018_

 

She was curled up comfortably on the colorfully striped sofa, buried under a heavy duvet with her feet tucked underneath the snoring dog’s body. The room was dark except for the flashing lights of the TV, which was playing the last minutes of a documentary about two Warsaw art-school students drifting through their twenties. A movie she really needed to watch with their eldest daughters.

The rest of the apartment was quiet. Everyone had left throughout the evening, all dressed up and looking forward to going to their respective parties. Left were just her, the dog and a half-eaten bar of dark chili chocolate.

While many people dreaded even the thought of having to spend _Valentime’s Date_ \- as Eaden was calling the day to celebrate love and affection - at home alone, Gillian was quite content with her lack of a date for the first time in years.

In fact, it was heaven. Pure heaven.

A long, relaxing bubble bath with her current book had been followed by a delicious take-out dinner and the best Chicken Biryani Gillian had ever had outside of India. After taking the dog to the park, she’d made herself comfortable on the couch, wearing the most comfortable pajamas she owned, and enjoying the rest of her peaceful me-time before it was over.

Brick had pricked his ears long before she heard the elevator reach their floor with a bing, and he lifted his head when its doors opened. His tail started to waggle in anticipation when someone entered the apartment and let a couple of paper bags fall to the floor.

“Who’s coming home, hm? Who is it, buddy?” Gillian patted his head and sat up a little bit, waiting patiently for someone to enter the room.

“What?” Gillian’s right eyebrow shot up when David finally turned the corner and walked towards her. She pointed her head at the sleeping child in his arms, giving him a lopsided grin. “Your date fell asleep before 10 pm, Mr. Duchovny?”

David chuckled softly as he sat down beside her and looked at Eaden’s angelic little face framed by her long, blonde hair all bunched up around the collar of her heavy, grey coat.

The ten-minute long ride from Eaden’s school, where they’d attended a Valentine’s Day Party together, had been long enough to lull her into a peaceful slumber on her father’s lap, and David had to carry his almost four-year-old all the way from the tube-station back to his apartment. Not that Eaden was particularly heavy, but a sleeping child in winter clothing wasn’t very handy after all, especially in addition to three bags full of candy and self-crafted items that he also had to bring home.

“I don’t know if that makes me a good or a lousy Valentine,” he replied, looking up at Gillian with a sheep grin.

“Considering the standards of the average four-year-old, probably a good one,” Gillian smirked and sat up, leaning over to give David a chaste kiss on the lips. “Did you guys have fun?” she asked and started to nestle between Eaden’s and David’s bodies to open her daughter’s coat. Undressing a sleeping child was a dance they’d both become good at over the years. In the end, it was all about teamwork.

David angled his torso to one side and then to the other so that Gillian was able to pull the sleeves down Eaden’s arms and free her from the coat.  

“Oh yeah,” he nodded eagerly. “Seems like Pre-K’ers get to have the most fun on Valentine’s Day. Lot’s of disgustingly sweet candy and terrible, terrible music the kiddos loved for reasons no parent there could figure out.”

“You’re just not used to real music anymore,” Gillian teased and put her hand around his neck, stroking over his fine brown hairs with her thumb.

He grinned at first, but then started to squirm beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I really need to use the bathroom,” he looked at her apologetically. “Too much apple juice.”

“Oh brother,” Gillian rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and removed her hand, patting his thigh before standing up. “Come on party boy, carry your date to bed and I’ll change her for you.”

 

Getting Eaden out of her pink damask dress was harder than Gillian had anticipated when she’d bought it for this very special occasion, and of course, Eaden woke up while her mother was turning her around to reach the zipper on her back.

“Mommy?” she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. “What are you doin’?”

“I’m trying to get you out of your pretty dress, honey.”

Her big blue eyes suddenly went wide and she pushed her mother’s hands away. “No! Party!”

“Party’s over, sissy. All good things come to an end eventually, and then it’s time for bed,” Gillian said softly and stroked a few strands of hair from Eaden’s forehead. She calmed quickly and closed her eyes under her mother’s gentle touch.

Before Eaden knew it, Gillian had already changed her into a fresh pair of pajamas, and she opened her eyes to watch her mother pulling the blanket up to her chin, just how she liked it.

“How was your first Valentine's Day party? Did you have a good time with Daddy?” Gillian asked, and continued to caress Eaden’s little face.

Eaden nodded. “I had a great _Valentime’s Date_ with Daddy. I asked him to marry me.”

Gillian’s right eyebrow shot to her hairline, and she couldn’t help the smirk that curved her lips. “Oh. Really?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“What did he say?”

The little girl turned her eyes to the side and pursed her lips, and Gillian had to bite into her own lower one to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Every time Eaden was making up a lie, she looked away and pursed her lips. Her daughter was, hands down, the worst liar out there.  

“He said yes,” Eaden beamed, and Gillian did too.

She couldn’t be any happier about the strong bond David shared with their daughter. He was her hero. And her infantile desire to marry him and have him around forever was the testament to it.

“Hmm,” David came up from behind and sat down on Eaden’s bedside, opposite from Gillian. “That’s funny, because I remember saying that I’ve just recently married Mommy, and that we had the most beautiful flower girl ever. And that I don’t think that I can marry someone else again, because I love Mommy very much and won’t be able to find another perfect flower girl.”

“Mommy can be the flower girl this time,” Eaden replied, sounding a little smug.

“Well,” David nodded thoughtfully as Gillian started to snicker beside him. It wasn’t really news to him that they had a clever little girl on their hands. “Let’s talk about this some other time, okay? It’s time to sleep now, right?” David asked, looking desperately at Gillian. It had been incredibly hard to change the topic the first time Eaden came up with this, he really didn’t want to go through the whole conversation again for a second time this evening.

“Right,” Gillian agreed and leaned down to give her daughter a kiss, patting her belly. “Sleep well, baby girl. We’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

 

“Wow, a proposal on the first official date! I’m impressed,” Gillian laughed as they walked back into the living room, David carrying one of the paper bags he’d brought from outside. She’d been eyeing it suspiciously the second he picked it up.

“Hey, it’s the second one! You forgot the daddy-daughter-Halloween-evening in Vancouver.”

“Oh, right,” Gillian turned to him and put her arms around his waist. “But who would want to propose to a caveman anyway?” she asked, referring to the costume he wore for Halloween.

“Yeah, who would want that, huh?” he murmured impishly, watching her eyes drift down to his mouth as he dipped his head towards her. “But if memory serves me right, you were pretty turned on by it.”

“Ohh,” Gillian sighed and leaned against him, one of her hands wandering over his back and down to his butt. “Maybe by the outfit. But I’d rather like a man who...” her hand skimmed to his front, and David was already anticipating her firm grip on his dick when she suddenly snagged the bag out of his hand and turned around, giggling as he put his arms around her, trying to get the stolen item back.

He fought and tickled her playfully for a while, and the dog was already standing by their feet when he finally let her open the present.

She looked into the open bag for a couple of moments before slowly retrieving its content.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, babe,” he whispered into her ear, interlocking his fingers over her stomach. “I bet you expected chocolate, but I hoped you would like this, too.”

“What… is it?” she asked, carefully opening the beautiful, leather-bound book.

“It’s an assembly of all the poems I have written about and for you over the last twenty-five years. You know that I love you. But in here, you will find all the reasons why. Some of which I’m sure I’ve never told you… and should have.”

She turned her head to look at him, her mouth agape and tears swimming in her big blue eyes. She looked so unbelievably beautiful.

“It’s bound in one of my old leather jackets. The one I was wearing throughout the nineties.”

“The one I loved so much,” she said, her fingers sweeping over the smooth material.

 _So many memories,_ Gillian thought and swallowed the lump in her throat.

The only thing she’d expected from this day was that he would have a fun time with his daughter before he’d travel to Australia.

“Yeah,” he nodded, watching her face intently.

Gillian opened her mouth again, but said nothing. Instead, she leaned back against his chest.

It had been a rough year, but they were married now.

She was his wife. He was her husband.

And they loved each other for over 25 years.

_Happy fucking Valentime’s Date indeed._


	7. Four years of perfection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this is a little something for Eaden's fourth birthday. It's a little different compared to the other installments, but it was stuck in my head and I hoped it would help me get into the groove again - which it did :-) The next Chapter of the main story is finally in the works!

She is perfect. So very, very perfect.

With those perfectly shaped, big, pouty lips and the cute button nose that she definitely got from her father, she reminds Gillian more of a quaint little doll than an actual human being.

The cute outfit Piper sewed for her is way too big, the sleeves rolled up twice so one could even see her tiny hands, tightly closed into fists.

She makes all these funny noises, a symphony of sounds Gillian could never get tired of. All the grunting and groaning, sniffling and snoring is music to her ears. Something she never dared to dream to get the chance to listen to again.

All of this is so surreal. And most definitely too good to be true.

Things like genetic abnormalities, miscarriage and stillbirth invade Gillian’s mind while she is looking at her perfectly healthy child, gently running her index finger along the crease where chin meets shoulder. The baby doesn’t have a neck yet. She’s pure, beautiful chubbiness.

She remembers the excrucial, physical pain one has when the body rejects its own creation, and the mental and emotional struggle one has to go through to accept it.

The knowledge what it’s like to lose a child is still sitting so deep inside her that, even though there had been two healthy boys between her losses and this pregnancy, on some days, she was entirely convinced that this couldn’t possibly end well for them.

There are so many things that could’ve gone wrong, yet her daughter only has a purple bruise on her tiny, wrinkled forehead and a slightly odd shaped head from squeaking through the birth canal.

She is so warm, and Gillian can’t stop smelling her devine, intoxicating newborn scent over and over again, even if she tried.

What were the chances to get so unbelievably lucky?

With a content sigh, Gillian rests her head back on the pillow, nuzzles her nose against Eaden’s temple and watches her daughter’s reaction. The muscles in her left cheek twitch and the corners of her mouth lift, just as if she’s attempting to smile. And while she has yet to see a person smile, and learn what it means and how to use it, Gillian feels like it’s proof enough that her little girl already feels safe and loved.

 

Four weeks later, Gillian’s already back in London, trying to settle the new baby into the familiarity of her European home.

Mark brings the boys, shushing them on their way upstairs to the master bedroom, where Erin said they would find Gillian resting with Eaden.

It’s day two after David left to work in the US, and she's exhausted beyond measure, feeling all her 45 years, and at least 10 on top. Piper and Erin help her where they can, but they’re all lucky she just got a chance to shower and change into a fresh pair of pyjamas, because that’s a little rare these days. The baby wakes up five to seven times a night and wants to be carried around in a sling during the entire day. It’s nursing, burping, rocking, nursing, burping, rocking, changing, cuddling and sleeping on repeat, and in between, Gillian tries to have at least five decent meals and as many power naps as she can get.

The boys are shy after not having seen their new sister for two weeks. Mark takes the baby first, giving her time to tend to her sons who are still a little confused and unsure of what to do with that precious little thing they have to share their mother with now.

Felix is sitting between her legs when Mark transfers the baby from Oscar into his waiting arms. He is quiet for a while, mesmerized by how tiny his sister feels.

He is not the baby of the family anymore, and it’s starting to sink in.

“What do you think, Felix?” Mark asks, gently stroking some unruly strands of blonde hair out of his son’s face.

He is beaming now. “She’s making a poop face! I love her,” he nods vigorously, and they all fall into laughter while Gillian cradles Eaden’s head in her palm, holding it safely while her brother happily bounces back and forth.

 

A year later, both boys are pro’s with their baby sister. Although on the petite side, she isn’t all that tiny anymore, and a feisty thing who knows how to raise her voice, so she fits in quite perfectly. Like that one last puzzle piece that was missing for a couple of years.

Oscar is the patient teacher and protector while Felix takes her on all kinds of crazy adventures. They’re equally good when it comes to cuddles, and they’re often found taking a nap in the middle of the day with their little sister lying on top of them. It’s the sweetest sight ever, and Gillian is so, so grateful for the special bond her children share.

Baby’s her age barely pique Eaden’s interest. She’s rather watching her brothers jump off of furniture and chase themselves through the house.

She screams through the entire hour of mommy-baby-class and always seems uncomfortable around so many babies while she is having the time of her life when a couple of boisterous boys come over for a playdate.

Her brothers play rough, and she quickly learns to do the same. It scares the hell out of Gillian when the boys wrestle and Eaden gets between them, but she knows she needs to trust them, otherwise she would spoil an essential part of their relationship.

Eaden is known to do a lot of weird things, like eating paper and dirt, and even more than with their older children, David and Gillian never know what they can expect from her next. She is the most random kid with a bag full of wonderful surprises.

She loves to play with big trucks, and the lego barn Felix got for Christmas is her favorite toy. It’s not about the horses and bunnies with her. It’s all about the cows and pigs.

The only one who really encourages her to play with dolls from time to time is David. He says it’s important for Eaden’s social skills, but everyone knows that he is the one having most of the fun when they’re sitting in front of the beautiful, self made little dollhouse, which was a present from her aunt Laurie. The baby doll she got for Christmas has definitely found a better caretaker in Felix.

Gillian always imagined her youngest to be a Daddy’s girl through and through, so she is surprised that Eaden’s clinging to her like a magnet. She’s either on Gillian’s hip, sitting on her lap or desperately hugging her legs. It’s both pathetic and adorable, and sometimes a little bit too much, but Gillian wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Eaden’s her last baby, and the time when she would have to crawl into her daughter’s bed to beg for a cuddle would come soon enough.

 

When she’s two, her relationship with her oldest brother begins to blossom. He is a laid back, witty boy with a gentle soul who gives the best hugs in the entire universe. She adores him to pieces and follows him like a shadow.

They’re often found swimming in the pool or taking Brick for a walk through Malibu. Carrying Eaden piggy-back to the ice-cream place they love and back home is his workout, he says.

Miller learns all about teaching a baby to back float on the surface of water, and by the end of the summer, you could throw Eaden into the pool with her clothes on and she would paddle to the surface and turn onto her back all by herself. She’s able to float like that for hours, and Gillian is so, so relieved that she doesn’t have to worry that much about the ever present water anymore.

He also wants to learn how to play the guitar, but spends more time cursing when he doesn’t get it right at first, second, or third try than actually practising. David encourages him to keep going, but what really calms and helps him is when his little sister is with him in the room, listening and smiling, no matter how often he fails.

Eaden is a happy, easy going child. At least most of the time.

A couple of weeks after her second birthday, the terrible twos hit them quite unexpectedly, and pretty much full force. Suddenly, it’s all about surviving the power battle and trying to get used to the fierce stubbornness Eaden got from her parents and less about bragging what a darling their little girl is.

She laughs a hearty laugh whenever David sits her onto the kitchen counter and starts preparing a big, green smoothie for them, but she gets grumpy when he decides to do a yellow one every now and then, and it takes a couple of reassuring words from her Daddy to make her stop crying and convince her to at least try it.

Two to ten times a day, she starts an attempt to turn on the vacuum cleaner, the one that is twice the size she is, and tries to pull it out of the storeroom. It always ends in tears  - either because she hurts herself before someone can stop her, or because someone makes her stop and she ends up throwing herself onto the floor, screaming bloody murder until she grows tired of being ignored.

Whenever she’s having one of those temper tantrums at other people’s houses or in public, Gillian and David look at their daughter lovingly and amused from afar, telling everyone who stops to watch the scene that they deserved nothing to begin with, but got everything they could’ve hoped for.

 

She is three and has already been to her first Women’s March in London when she tells a group of people that, “Trump is an asshole and he needs to go home”.

Neither Gillian nor David have told her a lot about this horrible person that was now the president of the United States, but Eaden has two very outspoken older sisters with very strong opinions. They are out there using their voices to make a change in the world, and Eaden is fascinated by their passion and power. Her sisters are her heroes, two brave young women nobody could possibly keep from what they want in their lives, and both David and Gillian are happy that she gets to grow up with that mindset. She is not afraid to say exactly what she thinks and feels, and that’s pretty much what her parents want for her.

With five outward bound siblings and a nursery school that takes the kids out to the forest twice a week, Eaden is always covered in sand, dirt and mud, and all her pants have grass stains on them somewhere.

She is best buddies with a lot of boys in a matter of seconds, but oftentimes, little girls need some time to warm up to her. She is too loud and too impetuous, that's what Gillian often hears from other parents whose daughters are scared of Eaden.

By the end of the year, Eaden discovers the power of clothing, and that by wearing a dress, other girls are more likely to invite her to play with them than when she's wearing dirty shirts and ripped jeans.

It’s around that time that Gillian starts to have horrible nightmares. Sometimes, they haunt her every single night, draining every ounce of energy out of her so that she’s left with nothing to make it through the day.

It’s always the same pattern. She dreams she wakes up somewhere - in the hospital right after giving birth; in a hammock on a beautiful beach, surrounded by palms; at home on her comfortable couch - and Eaden is nowhere to be found. A mentally ill person steals the baby from the hospital. Her child drowns in the sea while she is relaxing, or tumbles down the stairs because she forgot to close the baby gate.

It’s always about losing Eaden. It has been since her conception. Ever since Gillian started to want this baby.

She decides to go to therapy again, and even asks David to join her from time to time.

It’s important, for both of them.

The roots of her anxiety are buried deep inside and are over twenty years old. They lost a child back then, and she never allowed herself to grieve it. She never allowed them to grieve together.

Not until now.

Healing… healing is a lot of work and may take a lifetime, but as she starts to get better, she knows it was the right thing to do.

 

At four years old, Eaden is out there to impress and intent on running the show.

It’s always “Daddy, look!”, “Daddy, watch that trick!” and “Daddy, did you see that?”. They hear a lot of “Why?”, “No, Mommy!” and “I can do that alone!” - every single day, all day long.

She is brave and fierce, always looking for the next challenge, always pushing herself a little harder. She gets that from her mother, although it’s David from whom she inherited that athletic streak and the need to move, move, move.

She is never standing still, and never shutting up. A chatterbox, and the most hilarious one at that, but also argumentative and always trying to debate anything and everyone.

Eaden’s cute and tiny, but she definitely means business. Raising her is, so far, one of the most challenging things David and Gillian have ever done.

Rules are there to break, and boundaries to bend. Sometimes, emotions run so deep it’s hard to figure out how to properly respond to their little hurricane, and it takes everything out of them to act as a team and guide her instead of letting her be, even if it would be much easier.

Gillian often envies people with shy, compliant kids who don’t put up a fight about every little thing. The silver lining is that Eaden already knows exactly what she wants and only has to be taught how to voice it in an appropriate manner.

While she is a very demanding child, she is also the sweetest, most precious thing on the planet.

When she wakes up, she always puts her little hands on Gillian’s cheeks while she’s still asleep, turns her head and plants a heartfelt kiss on her mom’s mouth.

At some point, she suddenly starts to make compliments, or at least what she thinks are compliments. _"I like your butt, Mommy. It feels nice and squishy, like my pillow."_ is still Gillian's favorite one, although _"You're the best Daddy in the world, you're almost as cool as Mommy!"_ is not that far behind. Eaden has so many 'nice' things to say about David's singing, Gillian could fill a whole book with it.

She is like Felix in that way. Melting people’s hearts with their adorable clumsiness.

She is perfect. So very, very perfect with all her quirks and flaws. She may still look like a quaint little doll, but she is anything but lifeless.


End file.
